Your Light Has Come
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider how each firefly has its own unique way of shining its light into the night.
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
- Unknown
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Food for Thought
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
As another year draws to a close, we enter the season of Advent – approaching Christmastide. The Thanksgiving holiday has passed, giving way to full on tree lighting, carol singing, and gift preparations for many. However, the end of the year can yield a time of critical reflection as well. It is often the case when looking back over our lives that we see, unforgivingly, the mistakes and shortcomings, the regrets, the if-onlys…The joy of the season can get overshadowed by self-deprecation and depression – heavy and burdensome – which can hold us back and weigh us down.
Isaiah’s audience found themselves tied to these burdens, too. Looking back over their past, they questioned their own worth as children of God. Facing the destruction of their homes, they questioned whether God was ever with them at all. When they returned to Jerusalem – the temple not yet rebuilt – they felt overwhelming shame for their waywardness and faithlessness. They were hurting people left scarred by war and the traumas of occupation, who held their own insecurities about faith.
And yet, Isaiah brings them this bright and holy truth: “Arise! YOUR light has come”.
We often read these words following the Christmas narrative because the glory of the Lord falling upon one so deserving as the Christ-child seems appropriate as we celebrate Jesus’s birth. In addition, the passage to follow in Isaiah 61 is the quoted passage with which Jesus begins his ministry in Luke chapter 4: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This passage of light and glory is a passage many greatly associate with Jesus and his own light in this world, and yet what stands out so much is how it is addressed to people who were just trying to get through life – trying to understand, to figure out, to catch a glimmer of hope in the wreckage of reality. It was addressed to people who could only see their failure.
It was to these that the words of Isaiah are spoken with such certainty, assurance, and veracity: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon YOU. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon YOU, and his glory will appear over YOU. Nations shall come to your light and the kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
The light that this passage speaks about is one found not only in the heavens, but in the people – in the exiles, in the doubters, in the imperfect, in the wayward and lost, in the brokenhearted and despairing, in Jesus, in you and me.
It is a light kindled within each of us that yearns to be set free and revealed.
There are certainly forces in this world that oppress the light we are meant to claim – forces that would lead us into patterns of destruction, bitterness, and fear; forces that would tell us we aren't significant, or worthy, or lovable; forces that would weigh us down and hold us back from the awareness of our light.
But even so, Isaiah reminds us that we are light – and Jesus names us the light of the world. In the face of all that would tell us otherwise, we are reminded of our light. We are called into our light – both for ourselves as much as for others. That is our hope this Advent season. God wants us to shine our light in ways that offer life, hope, joy, peace, and love in the world. Our failures and mistakes do not define us; light does. Light is who we are!
Arise! Shine! Your light has come!
Find a candle or draw an image of a candle that you could use this week for a time of daily reflection. At the close of each day this week, light your candle or hold the image you drew, and consider these two questions: 1) What is one way you shined your light in the world today? 2) What is one way someone else shined their light today?
This holiday season, be present with your loved ones and friends. Create a space that offers a little more grace, love, and true welcome to all who join your table. If you need a few ideas, here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.
This printable version of today's reflection, “Your Light Has Come”, is for you to use in whatever way is helpful for you in your journey!
Blessing
God of hope,
You call us the light of the world.
When all around us can feel hopeless,
you call us out of the darkness
to shine our light in the world.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Has there been a time when past decisions, or current circumstances, have defined how you've shown up in the world for others?
What have you found to serve as a reminder of hope – that you are indeed a reflection of God’s light?
What are some ways that we can be a reminder of God’s light in the world for others?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kiddos what it means to be “a light” in the world.
Sing the song “This Little Light of Mine” together. List ways that we can shine our little light.
Talk about fireflies and how they use their light to connect with other fireflies. Explain that the light they shine is unique, and no two are alike.
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from the TWT Team throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!